League in Review - Round 2 [GFL]

With not much time for writing, "Quarterly" updates seemed a little aggressive. Given the time they take, and how little impact they have with what's coming up, it seemed unnecessary. So here I am with what will be the 2nd of 3 reviews of the GFL standings and stats this season. 

At this point, very few teams will have solidified anything for playoff season, but we can get a clear picture of what battles lay ahead for each team. One thing's clear so far - the team below is looking to carry several advantages over the rest of the league, particularly with such an explosive offense.

AFC

In the AFC, Wheatley has the highest rushing average at 5.6 yards/carry, just ahead of Ladanian Tomlinson and Gary Brown. Tomlinson leads with rushing yards, however, having already exceeded 1,200 for the season with the closest competitor (Martin, NYJ) not yet breaking 1,000. Tomlinson, with almost 300 receiving yards to add to it, leads all-purpose yardage as well with 1,536. His 11 TD's also puts him, just under Wheatley.

In the air, Jacksonville's Wilford is just above Mark Duper of Miami for average yards/catch at 20.7. Duper comes in only 4th for total yardage, which Hopkins of the Texans holds with 1,090. It's natural then that Hopkins also leads with number of catches at 89; Kelce of Kansas City comes in 2nd at just 80. Several people hold 8 receiving TD's, but only Mark Duper leads the AFC, and the league, with 11.

In the QB spot, Mahomes leads every major category, and by a huge margin. His 68.7% completion is several points ahead of Watson and Brady, and his QB rating of 115.8 compared to Brady's 106. With 5 games to go, at 4,123 passing yards he is almost 1,000 ahead of everyone else. Add to that 36 TD's, with Brady the next closest at 25 - and you can see any QB in the league would love those numbers by year-end. 

Legitimately averaging 537 yards / game, the Chiefs carry the clear #1 offense, which leads in passing yards scoring. At 39 points / game they are 10 above every closest competitor. The Dolphins, Jets and Patriots (in that order) are the closest to the Chiefs in average yards/game at over 440. Of course, San Diego and Oakland lead rushing yards. 

Adam Vinatieri remains the leading kicker for scores, coming in with 20 FG's on top of his several PAT's. He has still missed a few FG's; only Denver's McManus is still 100%. On Defense, Cousin for Jacksonville has 7 INT's, but the sacks category is scarier. Bowser and Betters for Miami lead with 9 and 8, respectively. This total is just 1 shy of the 18 combined by the Oiler's trio of Jones, Childress and Montgomery, who - like a few of Baltimore's crew as well - all chime in at 6 each.

On defense, only Pittsburgh has held teams to just 313 yards/game average. Indianapolis is the next closest. The Ravens carry the #1 rush defense, allowing just under 79 yards / game. The Steelers have held teams to an average of 15 points / game and is the top pass defense, keeping teams to just about 221 yards/game. The Jets and Ravens still cause the most turnovers, with a ratio of 1.6 and 1.5, respectively.

NFC

Marshall Faulk is the leader with average rushing yards at 5.6, tying Ladanian Tomlinson. Shawn Alexander is close behind at 5.3 yards/carry, but leads far above everyone with 17 TDs. Alexander also leads the NFC for yardage at 1,317, beating out LT for the league as well. Faulk leads all-purpose yarding for the NFC and for the league, with several hundred receiving yards bringing him to 1,710 so far for the season. 

St. Louis' Gray averages a whopping 25+ yards / catch, leading both the conference and the league by over 5 yards / catch. But it's Bruce for the Rams who leads receiving yardage at 950. At 64 receptions, he comes in just under Steve Smith for Carolina, who has 66. Freeman leads receiving TD's at 10.

In the QB spot, Steve Young chimes in at 66.5% completion, with Matt Ryan close behind for Altanta. Young also holds the highest QB rating for the NFC at 98.7. Warner comes in a close 2nd at 95.3. Of course, Warner leads for yardage at just under 3,100, and matches that with 21 TD's. Brett Favre leads scoring, however, with 27 TD's. 

Mosely is by far the highest scoring kicker in the NFC and the league at 104 points. But of his 31 FG attempts, Moseley has only completed 83%. Only Anderson (for Minnesota) leads with over 90% FG completion. The Giants have Ross tied for most INT's with Lebeau of Detroit. Swilling of the Saints leads sacks with 11.

The Rams average 468 yards / game, far surpassing Green Bay for the #1 spot in offense. Of course, Faulk's high yardage help put Seattle on top of other rushing offenses. But the Greatest Show on Turf averages 35.5 yards / game, putting them as the #1 scoring offense. This comes mostly, of course, because they are the lead passing team in the NFC with almost 310 yards/game.

On defense, the Eagles have allowed just ~308 yards / game, making them one of the tougher competitors.  Their rush defense is a big contributor, allowing just over 106 yards / game average. Despite their poor record, this puts them close to the Redskins. Both teams, of course, have poor records because they don't fare as well preventing points. The Saints, allowing just 12.5 yards/game average, steal the show there. This is partially because they lead against the pass, holding teams to just under a stunning 110 yards/game. The Redskin and Bears have the highest turnover margin at 1.7 and 1.6, respectively.